Systematic review finds limited but promising evidence for CBD in psychiatric disorders ↗
Systematic review of CBD in psychiatry finds limited evidence for cannabis withdrawal, addiction, psychosis, and social anxiety, with few side effects.
Research library — page 40
Browse more cannabis research, findings, methods, and limitations.
THC and CBD reduce inflammation after bone marrow transplant in mice but slow immune recovery ↗
Cannabinoids reduced GVHD and improved survival in transplanted mice but also slowed immune cell recovery, highlighting a complex therapeutic tradeoff.
Depression-prone rats show reduced endocannabinoid signaling, with differences between brain hemispheres ↗
Depression-model rats showed reduced endocannabinoid signaling with notable hemisphere-specific differences in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
Review maps CBD's multi-target anti-cancer effects from lab bench to early clinical evidence ↗
Comprehensive review of CBD's anti-cancer properties, documenting multiple mechanisms of action from lab studies to early clinical evidence.
Cannabis shows promise for cancer symptom management but evidence gaps persist ↗
Review finds reasonable evidence for cannabis in cancer-related nausea, appetite loss, and pain, with promising data for neuropathy and sleep issues.
New CBD delivery system dramatically improved absorption compared to standard oil ↗
RCT in 16 volunteers found a self-emulsifying CBD formulation achieved 4.4x higher peak levels and 3x greater absorption than standard CBD oil.
Computer-based screening and brief counseling reduced teen cannabis use and riding with impaired drivers ↗
Pilot RCT found computer-based screening and brief counseling in pediatric visits reduced teen cannabis use by 38% and riding with impaired drivers by 42% over 12 months.
Artisanal cannabis extracts helped only 24% of children with epilepsy, matching placebo rates from pharmaceutical trials ↗
Prospective study found only 24% of children with refractory epilepsy responded to artisanal cannabis extracts, matching placebo rates from pharmaceutical CBD trials.
Cannabinoid exposure can cause lasting cognitive and psychiatric problems, especially in adolescents ↗
Review of multiple evidence types consistently links cannabinoid exposure to persistent cognitive deficits and psychosis risk, with adolescence as a critical vulnerability window.
Endocannabinoid enzyme inhibitors had mixed effects on schizophrenia-like symptoms in mice ↗
Low-dose FAAH inhibition improved memory in a mouse schizophrenia model, but higher doses of both FAAH and MAGL inhibitors worsened cognitive and behavioral symptoms.
THC reduced gut inflammation and prevented lymph node scarring in SIV-infected monkeys ↗
THC suppressed gut inflammation, preserved intestinal barrier integrity, and prevented lymph node fibrosis in all treated SIV-infected macaques.
Scoping review maps what is known about cannabis use around surgery ↗
Scoping review identifies altered pain processing, anesthetic requirements, and withdrawal risk as key perioperative concerns for cannabis users, but notes limited evidence.
Researchers propose 28 indicators to track whether cannabis legalization helps or hurts public health in Canada ↗
Review proposes 28 public health indicators to evaluate Canada's cannabis legalization, with early US data showing mixed harms but some benefits.
Daily cannabis use associated with 50% lower odds of daily illicit opioid use among people with chronic pain ↗
Longitudinal study of 1,152 people with chronic pain found daily cannabis use associated with 50% lower odds of daily illicit opioid use.
Review of CBD as add-on treatment for severe childhood epilepsy syndromes ↗
Review examines CBD as the first new class of antiepileptic drugs, with clinical evidence supporting its use as adjunctive treatment for Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes.
Long-term CBD treatment sustained seizure reductions for up to 96 weeks in children and adults with severe epilepsy ↗
Expanded access program showed add-on CBD reduced major motor seizures by 50% at 12 weeks, sustained through 96 weeks, in patients with LGS or Dravet syndrome.
Adolescent THC unexpectedly improved dopamine function in rats with prenatal immune disruption ↗
Adolescent THC unexpectedly attenuated dopamine dysfunction caused by prenatal immune activation in rats, challenging the simple two-hit model of schizophrenia.
Droperidol cut ER stays in half for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome patients ↗
Retrospective study found droperidol halved ER stay duration for CHS patients (6.7 vs. 13.9 hours) and reduced overall antiemetic use.
Addressing tobacco use during cannabis treatment is feasible but tobacco quit rates remain poor ↗
Pilot RCT found simultaneous tobacco treatment during cannabis treatment was feasible and acceptable, but tobacco quit rates were low in both timing conditions.
Theoretical pathway maps how pesticide-contaminated cannabis could harm fetal brain development ↗
Theoretical adverse outcome pathway proposes that cannabis contaminated with organophosphate pesticides may compound developmental neurotoxicity through overlapping molecular targets.
Fathers' THC exposure before conception caused lasting attention problems in rat offspring ↗
Paternal THC exposure in rats (modest dose, 12 days) caused long-lasting attention impairments in offspring, likely through epigenetic changes in sperm.
Utah EVALI investigation: 92% of hospitalized patients had used THC vaping products ↗
Utah EVALI investigation found 92% of patients used THC vaping products, with vitamin E acetate detected in 89% of tested THC cartridges.
CB2 receptor drug AM1710 relieved chemo-induced pain and delayed morphine tolerance in mice ↗
CB2 agonist AM1710 reliably reduced chemo-induced nerve pain and delayed morphine tolerance in mice, but was ineffective for inflammatory or surgical pain.
CB1 and CB2 receptors had opposite effects on clozapine heart damage in mice ↗
Mouse study shows CB1 antagonists and CB2 agonists protect against clozapine-induced heart damage, with opposite cannabinoid receptor roles in cardiotoxicity.
Synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018 impairs memory by raising brain endocannabinoid levels and lowering BDNF ↗
JWH-018 impaired memory by elevating brain endocannabinoids (suppressing FAAH and MAGL) and reducing BDNF, with all effects reversible by CB1 receptor blockade.
Cannabis dispensaries make widespread unsubstantiated dermatology claims ↗
Survey finds dispensaries in three countries advertise cannabis for at least 12 skin conditions, with most claims lacking clinical evidence.
Newton screening tool shows high specificity for detecting cannabis use disorder in teens visiting the ER ↗
The Newton screen demonstrated 93% sensitivity and specificity for cannabis use disorder in 4,898 adolescents across 16 pediatric emergency departments.
Cannabinoids consistently facilitate extinction of traumatic memories in animal and human studies ↗
Review of animal and human studies finds cannabinoid-facilitated extinction of traumatic memories with large effect sizes, acting through prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus.
Veterans with free cannabis access chose high-THC products and used cannabis as a substitute for other drugs ↗
Survey of 93 veterans with free cannabis access found most used it to substitute for other substances, but chose high-THC products without clinical guidance.
Meta-analysis confirms regular cannabis users have smaller hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex ↗
Meta-analysis of 30 neuroimaging studies found regular cannabis users have significantly smaller hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex volumes.
Review examines cannabis effects across major psychiatric disorders and proposes a framework for understanding addiction risk ↗
Review finds limited support for cannabis benefits in mental illness, growing evidence of harm in psychosis and mood disorders, and proposes a framework for understanding addiction vulnerability.
Large survey of Canadian medical cannabis patients reveals widespread substitution for prescription drugs, opioids, and alcohol ↗
Survey of 2,032 Canadian medical cannabis patients found 69% substituted for prescription drugs, with 59% of opioid substituters reporting complete cessation.
Breath testing can reliably detect THC throughout the 3-hour impairment window after smoking cannabis ↗
Controlled study shows breath THC testing reliably detects cannabis use during the 3-hour impairment window, with kinetics closely tracking blood levels.
Cannabis extract and CBD both inhibited human immune cell migration and inflammation, but the extract was more potent ↗
Both a standardized cannabis extract and pure CBD inhibited human immune cell functions, but the extract was more potent for cell migration and TNF-alpha production.
Cannabis-related psychiatric disorders matched schizophrenia as the top reason for psychiatric hospitalization in South Africa ↗
Cannabis-related psychiatric disorders tied with schizophrenia (31.6% each) as the leading reason for psychiatric hospitalization at a South African mental health unit.
Cannabis-related intractable vomiting hospitalizations increased significantly from 2010 to 2014 ↗
Nationwide analysis found cannabis-related intractable vomiting hospitalizations increased significantly from 2010-2014, with rising anxiety and high tobacco co-use.
Review draws parallels between cardiovascular harms of cannabis and tobacco smoking ↗
Review finds cannabis smoking produces similar combustion chemicals and cardiovascular risks as tobacco, including heart attacks, arrhythmias, and strokes, potentially at younger ages.
Post-approval trials confirm THC:CBD spray is safe and effective for resistant MS spasticity ↗
Post-approval trials confirm THC:CBD spray (Sativex) effectively treats resistant MS spasticity without cognitive or mood side effects through 50 weeks.
SAVANT trial: Add-on Sativex significantly outperformed optimized standard treatment for MS spasticity ↗
SAVANT RCT found 77% of MS patients on add-on Sativex achieved meaningful spasticity improvement vs 32% on optimized standard treatment (p<0.0001).
Cannabis use at 16 predicted first suicide attempt by age 21 among at-risk adolescents ↗
Birth cohort study found cannabis use at 16 approximately doubled the odds of a first suicide attempt by 21 among adolescents with suicidal thoughts or self-harm.
CB2 receptor manipulation reduced alcohol reward in mice while endocannabinoid levels dropped in brain reward regions ↗
Alcohol conditioning decreased endocannabinoid levels in mouse brain reward regions, and CB2 receptor blockade reduced alcohol's rewarding effects.
Colorado surveillance system validated for tracking marijuana-related ER visits after legalization ↗
Validated surveillance of Colorado ER visits found 188 confirmed marijuana-related cases, disproportionately affecting edible users and out-of-state visitors.
THC disrupted brain connectivity by boosting striatal glutamate and dopamine in occasional users ↗
Human neuroimaging study shows THC increases striatal glutamate and disrupts brain connectivity, with these changes predicting subjective high and attention deficits.
Nearly 8% of college students had tried synthetic cannabinoids, driven by legality and drug testing concerns ↗
Survey of 1,140 college students found 7.9% used synthetic cannabinoids, driven by legality and drug test avoidance, with natural cannabis users at 7.6x higher odds.
Cannabis-tobacco co-users have high interest in quitting tobacco but low interest in quitting cannabis ↗
Survey of 282 cannabis-tobacco co-users found high tobacco quit interest (7.1/10) but low cannabis quit interest (2.4/10), with bidirectional substitution during quit attempts.
Systematic review finds capsaicin data for CHS is promising but low quality ↗
Systematic review of capsaicin for CHS finds positive case reports but no significant benefit in retrospective cohort studies, highlighting low evidence quality.
HIV and regular marijuana use together produced greater brain activation changes than either alone ↗
fMRI study found combined HIV and regular marijuana use produced synergistic brain activation changes in the fronto-insular cortex during cognitive tasks.
Systematic review links cannabis smoking to voice changes, respiratory symptoms, and darkened vocal folds ↗
Systematic review links cannabis smoking to darkened vocal folds, respiratory symptoms, and lung function changes in heavy users, with vaporizing offering symptom reduction.
Prospective study finds no link between adolescent cannabis use and adult brain structure ↗
Prospective study following boys from age 13 to their 30s found no association between adolescent cannabis use patterns and adult brain structure in 14 regions.
Medical cannabis patients describe it as having fewer side effects than prescriptions but face stigma and dosing confusion ↗
Qualitative study of 25 medical cannabis cardholders found patients prefer cannabis over prescriptions but face stigma, cost, and lack of clinical dosing guidance.